Xodus 7 Continent Challenge Reaches Sydney

The bid by Peter Nicol, MBE, and Tim Garner to complete seven squash matches on seven continents in seven days as part of the Xodus 7 Continent Challenge hit breakneck pace on Tuesday. The pair spent just 13 hours on Australian soil, fitting in a match at the Willoughby Club in Sydney on the Australian leg of their journey before heading to Kuala Lumpur to continue their quest.

A technical problem with their connecting flight from Santiago, Chile, stranded the pair in Auckland and cut down the time in Sydney, which created yet more pressure on their already impossibly tight schedule.

"I think the lady at immigration was amused to be dealing with a couple of mad squash players that were only going to be in the country for the day!" said Garner.

Somehow the pair fitted in a series of media interviews to promote squash's bid to become part of the 2020 Olympic Games as well as playing in front of an enthusiastic crowd of well-wishers at the New South Wales club.

Garner won match three of the series 13-15, 11-5, 11-8, 11-9 in 45 minutes and now leads the head-to-head series 2/1, with four matches to come - in Kuala Lumpur, Cairo, London and New York.

"Kuala Lumpur is a fantastic city and Malaysia is a such a proud squash nation, having produced incredible players like Nicol David - the current women's world No1 - so we're delighted to be able to play there," said Nicol.

After a relatively short 8-hour flight to KL, Nicol and Garner will play at the National Sports Complex in Kuala Lumpur at 7pm local time on Wednesday. From there they will head to Cairo before briefly touching down at home in London en route to the final stop at Chelsea Piers in Connecticut, USA.

Since Saturday they have completed matches in the Falkland Islands, Chile and Australia.

As well as highlighting squash's 2020 Olympic Bid, the Xodus 7 Continent Challenge is fundraising for two causes: The LV= SOS Kit Aid Scheme and Natasha's Steps, a trust set up help young squash player Natasha Drake who is recovering from an idiopathic bleed on her brain. Donations can be made via www.justgiving.com/7CC